1-41pm
Having a land surveyor for a husband ensures two things in life. 1. You won’t ever get lost. 2. Because you won’t get lost, you don’t need to keep to the beaten track. Despite those two things, it doesn’t mean you won’t know where you are going! So when I say we are ‘lost’ in the Little Karoo, I mean that if you had to set out to find us, it would be difficult!
It is so incredibly quiet here. A short while ago I said to Mike, “The road is busy! That’s the 3rd car I’ve heard this morning” and it was 12 noon. As I sit here typing, I can hear my fingers breaking the silence as they tick tick across the keyboard. They are rivalled only by the tweeting of the local birds and the odd call of the kingfisher. THAT’S how quiet it is. If your soul requires some restoration, come here for the Lord to revive it. As the silence seeps in, any kind of stress oozes out.
We slept in the ‘day bed’ so not the gratitude pic I posted last night. We were going to sleep in that room, but decided
we have put all our stuff in front of the fire and there was a double bed there so we fell asleep as the fire died down. This morning we woke with the light…
….and the sound of the local rooster announcing the day….
As soon as we opened the front door, the farm cat arrived to welcome us….
We had free free range eggs…the chickens sometimes lay them on the front porch…they don’t come fresher…
….so this was breakfast!
We decided to go for a walk, out the gate past the farm sign…
…along a track …
and over a river…
There are a few isolated homes….
….and lots of thorn bushes….
We took the wrong road. We should have turned right after the river, but turned left instead and this track took us up to a mountain cottage…
We climbed the ridge behind it, the only sound being the barking of the head of a local troop of baboons….
…and were pretty much lost! But my land surveyor husband found a beacon….
And a fence pole beyond which you could see where it had gone before being taken down…
So we followed that for a while, until eventually we came back to a ruin we had spotted on our way up. This so reminds me of Italy! If you are in Cape Town, you don’t have to fly across the world to experience a change…this is all just 4 hours drive away. It’s just like some Italian country-side…..
Down the track, back across the river….
And we were back at Barn Owl Farm….
If you ever want to visit, just go to the website www.barnowlfarm.co.za and contact the owners who live next door to the cottage. It’s well equipped with linen and towels. Just bring food & maybe soap for bathing. They have liquid soap for handwashing.
The kitchen has a three ring gas cooker, but no oven. There is a microwave, fridge and kettle. There are plugs for charging cell phones etc. There’s low powered electrical lights, but lots of candles and plenty of hot water. There’s a fantastic pizza oven which has an added opening the other side of it which warms up the shower in the bathroom. Just love it! Everything is brick, stone and wood. It’s like going back 100 years and imagine what life was like then. It’s completely private and owners Carl and Tori leave you to it. If you want any directions or help, you just go to their home and ask. Adrian and Stacey – you would absolutely love it – braai, potjie, fireplace, pizza oven. Rates are excellent. If you plan to come, plan before the summer. It’s very hot in summer. You’re just about off the grid with limited cell phone
coverage and no internet. No TV! 🙂
Last night, we sat in front of the fireplace chatting quietly and watching the flames sparkle and crackle, embracing the
peace that solitude brings. This morning, I sat on the porch and did my Bible reading. I’m reading about David’s rise to fame. I noticed that just because you know God and have His favour on your life, it does not mean things will be easy for you. Sometimes, even those closest to you may turn against you and you will be confused and hurt. David experienced that when King Saul, the very man who applauded him and gave him his daughter to marry suddenly in jealousy and anger turned against him. A number of times, Saul tried to kill David. David fled to his good friend, Saul’s son, Jonathan and asked (1 Samuel 20 vs 1)
“What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to take my life?”
David didn’t understand & most of the time, when opposition comes our way, we won’t understand either. But don’t stop trusting God. Live in obedience to Him and He will take care of the opposition, which is exactly what happened in David’s case. Cling to God. Do not retaliate. Let God do the work. Then the outcome will be the best possible one.
God bless you loads!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂
Gratitude Pic…Barn Owl Cottage
